Career change - wedding planning

[Etoile]

Hi

 

I have a friend who wants to change career. She is currently a beauty therapist but would like to get into wedding planning. I don't know if she wants to be a wedding planner as such or just be involved in aspects of wedding planning. Her background is in beauty but she does have a qualification (NVQ level three I think in business) and she was made the manager of the salon where she works so has experience of responsibility. She is also a fantastic people person. She has many friends and can get along with anyone. She has been a fantastic friend to me and I would like to help her in return. I would like to be able to help her towards achieving her ambition of a career in wedding planning (of some sort).

 

Basically I'm posting to find out if anyone has any advice on how to get into wedding planning (whether that be as a wedding planner, an employee of a wedding planning company or anything else to do with weddings). Also I would really like to hear from brides and grooms to be as to what they would be looking for from a wedding planner or any services to do with weddings.

 

Can anyone help?

[sweetooth]

Certain schools offer certification in special event management.

 

In my final semester, I did an internship at a very nice golf resort and shadowed a wedding planner/event planner for the majority of it; thus, my internship was a combination of helping plan and execute weddings, banquets and tournaments. Unfortunately...I hated it all. If I could do a do-over, I would do a sport related one.

 

Anyway, although I had a very good internship where I learned a lot, the most important thing I learned was that it was not for me. Is your friend able to job shadow a wedding planner? You may look tell her to at golf resorts, specific avenues that are for weddings as there are often wedding planners there, though "beware", some are not very good ones (e.g. drinking on the job). Ask if they can shadow and interview them.

 

Your friend should be ready to miss many social engagements such as her friends' and families birthdays, certain holidays...as weddings most often are on weekends and evenings of, and sometimes on holidays like New Year's. That is why I hated it. Anyway...

 

She should also check into associations like link removed and link removed believe you can become a certified one, which the lady I shadowed had. The lady I shadowed also had the same degree as me, but she got a degree in theater prior. With that said, certification/degrees make you look credible and professional so definitely look into it.

 

Anyway, I hope this is a good start. Weddings can be a lot of work but one can thrive off of it like the lady I shadowed....she really enjoyed it.

[Etoile]

Hi

 

Thanks very much for your response. Wedding planning is quite a specialised area so I'm grateful for any advice I can get. I will pass this information onto my friend